Ramadan Articles - Balancing cooking & worship in Ramadan

The blessed month of Ramadan isfast approaching and many of us are
busy making preparations to make this a special time for our families.
Ramadan is a time for voluntary acts of worship, sharing with those
who are less fortunate, and reflecting on the message that Allaah has
given to us.
Overall, the goal of this month is to develop ourselves spiritually
and to become closer to Allaah. These effects are then to be carried
with us throughout the remainder of the year. This is the beauty of
Ramadan; a gift and blessing from Allaah.
One issue that is commonly discussed is concern about the amount of
time that sisters are required to spend during this month in cooking
and related preparations. Much of the emphasis is often placed upon
food and breaking of the fast. Undoubtedly, this was not meantto be
the focus of such a spiritualtime, but it has evolved into a
sophisticated system in some cultures. The following questionsthen
arise: "If a woman is spending so much time on this aspect of the
blessed month, how much time does this leave for more important acts
of worship such as prayer and reading Quran?", "How can a woman
balance her desire to please her family and guests and her wish to
perform more acts ofworship?"
We posed these questions and related ones to sisters. We have
presented some of their responses below which you should find
enlightening. It is important to emphasize that sharing food with
others is highly rewarded in
Islam, particularly if the recipients are the poor and needy.
This is something that is stronglyencouraged notonly during Ramadan,
but throughout the year. What may be helpful to consider is that there
are many types of foods and various methods of preparation that do not
require a great deal of time and effort, but that can be enjoyed just
as much as more elaborate dishes. This element itself can be very
beneficial for the balancing act.
A woman should always be aware of how her scale is being affected by
the various acts that she engages in. If worship side is weak, it may
be time to rearrange priorities. Our focus should be on Allaah and the
beautiful
Scripture that He, Almighty, sent during this glorious month. May
Allaah help each of us to experience a rewarding and joyful Ramadan.
Comments from Sisters
*.'Aa'ishah, a mother of three teenagers. Her husband has extensive
social relationships and usually has to invite many people to eat at
their house during Ramadan. ]Los Angels, California[
"My children and husband are always helpful and understanding. I am
too. Even though cooking is tiring to me, I am always willing to do it
)I cooka large variety of foods and I never get any outside help(, and
many times I have cooked for a very large number of guests; but I
understand my
husband's position in the community and I support him in doing what he
has to do. What ismore important for me is that I look for Allaah's
reward by providing Iftaar for fasting people and having Muslims as
guests in my house. This is my biggest motivation in doing this. There
are more rewards in it than many can imagine.
The only thing I ask from my husband is that we plan these"events"
ahead of time. In Ramadan, I also always help my sons invite some of
their friends over to have Iftaar with us. Whenwe have no guests, I
cook
anything I want, and whether it is just one type of food or no food at
all )that is we go out to eat at a restaurant(. They are all happy and
supportive of the decision. As for having enough time and energy to
read Quran and perform more prayers, I think it all comes down to
management of time and settingof priorities. And yes, I do as much of
them as I want in
Ramadan."
*.Um Muhammad, married and the mother of two children.]Jersey City, New Jersey[
"I rarely cook Iftaar in Ramadan. We take the opportunity of the month
to be in the masaajid)mosques( as much as we can. There are more than
fifteen mosques around us whichprovide daily or weekend Iftaar, so we
go to them to meet the Muslims and eat with them. Sometimes the food
is free but most of the time we pay for it, and in others it is a
potluck dinner. I may have to cook once or twice for guests at our
home. This way we get to spend more time in the masjid )mosque( and
around the Muslims, and I get all the time to do more worship."
*.Zahirah, lives with three young daughters, her husband and his old
parents. ]New York, New York[
"When it comes to cooking, I have to work very hard every Ramadan
because I have to prepare different types of meals for my in-laws and
at specific times - dayand night. I get very tired and I do not, may
Allaah
forgive me, look forward to it. However, I enjoy cooking for the masjid
because some of those who eat there do not have the opportunity to eat
"Ramadan food" and for the few occasions when we invite some single
Muslims to have Iftaar with us. I usually have very little time to do
anything other than cooking in Ramadan."
*.Khadijah, a mother of two children, one of whom is third-grade
homeschooler. ]Atlanta, Georgia[
"I love to cook in Ramadan even though I am not a good cook, but I try
my best especially when we go to the masjid or when we are inviting
others over. Many likemy sweet dishes so I tend to do more of that and
I
sometimes send them as gifts to our neighbors and friends. I do make
time for Quran and prayer and helping with the Ramadan programs in our
masjid. It is a tough schedule and I get tired especially towards the
end of themonth, but I like it very much and my husband and the
Muslimsaround me appreciate what I do. I have no complaints."
*.Layla, married and the mother of three young children.
]Minneapolis, MN[
"I feel that my husband expects us to have a full, heavy meal every
night during Ramadan )i.e., salad, meat, starch, vegetable and
desert(, whereas during the rest of the year we may have a meal like
that two or three timesa week )the rest of the week it's O.K. to have
lighter meals like soup and salad, sandwiches, or omelets(. I don't
find it difficult to cook during Ramadan from a temptation standpoint
but I find that planning for these big mealsis a burden. I think that
these large meals are customary duringRamadan because we tend to
entertain more during this month. But, I don't think these large meals
should be expected when not entertaining and it is actually an
unhealthy way to eat)to gorge ourselves after sunset before we go to
sleep(. Also, the clean up from these meals is more extensive and will
take away time from prayer, reading Quran, and being with family
members. Feeling tired from fasting and taking care of small children
can add to the challengeduring this month."
We would like to thank all of the sisters for their comments and insight.

Ramadan Articles - Merits of Ramadan

It was narrated on the authority of Abu Hurayrahthat the Messenger of
Allaahsaid:"When the month of Ramadan starts, the gates of Heaven are
opened and the gates of Hell are closed and the devils are
chained."]Al-Bukhaari and Muslim[
Another version reads:"When thefirst night of the month of Ramadan
comes, the devils and rebellious Jinn are chained up and the gates of
Hell are closed, and not one gate of it is opened. The gates of
Paradise are opened and not one gate of it is closed. Acaller cries
out, 'O seeker of good,proceed; O seeker of evil, desist.' Allaah
saves some people from Hell - and that happens every
night."]At-Tirmithi and Ibn Maajah[]Al-Albaani: Saheeh[
"O seeker of good, proceed!"is a call to the people who want to do
good deeds to proceed, because this is their opportunity for doing
good deeds as they willbe rewarded generously for everylittle effort.
"O seeker of evil, desist!"is a call to the people who want to get
involved in evil deeds to stop andrepent, because this is the time for
repenting to Allaah The Almighty.
In a third version, the Prophetgave glad tidings to his Companions,
saying:"There has come to you Ramadan, a blessed month. Allaah has
made it obligatory for you to fast in it. In this month, the gates of
Heaven are opened and the gates of Hell are locked, and the rebellious
devils are chained up. In it there is a night that is better than a
thousand months, and whoever is deprived of its goodness is deprived
indeed."]An-Nasaa'i andAhmad[
It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah and Abu Sa'eedsaidthat the Messenger
of Allaahsaid:"Allaah has people whom Hesaves )from Hell( every day
and night )in Ramadan( and every oneof them has a supplication that
will, indeed, be fulfilled."]Ahmad and At-Tabaraani: authentic chainof
narrators[
It was narrated on the authority of Jaabirthat the Messenger of
Allaahsaid:"Allaah has people whom He saves )from Hell( at each time
of Iftaar)breaking tha fast(, and that is every night )of
Ramadan(."]Ibn Maajah[ ]Al-Albaani: Hasan Saheeh]
Benefits and rulings:
*.First:The virtues of the month of Ramadan, where great things take
place, such as opening the gates of Paradise, closing the gates of
Hell and chaining the devils. All this takes place in the first night
of Ramadan and continues to the end of the month.
*.Second:The first Hadeeth indicates that Paradise and Hellare already
created and that their gates are actually opened and closed.
*.Third:Seasons with a special virtue and the righteous deeds that are
observed therein bringabout the Pleasure of Allaah and this results in
opening the gates of Paradise and closing the gates of Hell.
*.Fourth:It is permissible under Sharee'ah )Islamic legislation( to
give glad tidings about the advent of Ramadan and congratulate people
on living to witness it. The Prophetused to remind his Companions of
such merits to make them rejoice and drive them to do righteous deeds.
Thus, glad tidings should be given with regard to every good thing.
*.Fifth:Rebellious devils are chained in Ramadan and thus their effect
on people is weakened due to the good deeds that people do.
*.Sixth:Allaah The Almighty confers His favor and kindness upon His
slaves by preserving their fasting and warding the harm of rebellious
devils off them, so as not to spoil their acts of worship in the
blessed month of Ramadan.
*.Seventh:Proving the existence of devils and that they have bodies
that can be chained andthat rebellious devils from among them are
chained during the month of Ramadan.
*.Eighth:These great advantages, which are unique to Ramadan, are
enjoyed by the believers who glorify this month and fulfill the rights
of Allaah The Almighty during it. However, the disbelievers who do not
fast during this month and do not believe in its sanctity, the gates
of Paradise will not be opened for them, the gates of Hell will not be
closed for their sake, their devils will not be chained and they will
not deserve to be saved from Hell. Consequently, anyone of them who
dies during the month of Ramadan or during any other month willdeserve
the punishment of Allaah and will certainly taste it.
*.Ninth:It is feared that Muslims who imitate the disbelievers in
violating the sanctity of Ramadan, breaking the fast during the
daytime, committing acts that invalidatetheir fasting or decrease its
reward )such as backbiting, carrying tales or spreading slander and
attending gatherings where such acts take place(, will be excluded
from this great favor from Allaah; the gates of Paradise will be
closed for them, the gates of Hell will be opened forthem and their
devils will be released.
*.Tenth:The opening of the gates of Paradise and the closing of the
gates of Hell do not contradict the verse )whichmeans(:}Gardens of
perpetual residence, whose doors will be opened to them.{]Quran 38:50[
The opening of the gates of Paradise during the month of Ramadan does
not mean that they will be always opened. Also, the noble verse tells
about the opening of such gates on the Dayof Judgment. Likewise, the
closing of the gates of Hell duringthe month of Ramadan does not
contradict the verse that says with regard to Hell )what
means(:}Until, when they reach it, its gates are opened.{]Quran 39:71[
This is because the gates of Hell may be closed before the time the
doomed people reach it.
*.Eleventh:The virtue of the Night of Al-Qadr and how it is better
than one thousand months. The Muslim who misses that night is deprived
ofa great blessing.
*.Twelfth:Allaah The Almighty saves people from Hell every night in
the month of Ramadan. Those who are worthier of redemption are those
who fast perfectly, pray Qiyaam )supererogatory night prayers( well,
perform a lot of righteous deeds, out of loving Allaah and hoping for
His reward and fearing His punishment.
*.Thirteenth:Those people who will be saved from Hell will be granted
the privilege of having their supplications fulfilled. Thus, Allaah
combines two great rewards for them: redemption from Hell and
answering their supplication.
*.Fourteenth:The fasting Muslim should not commit anything that
invalidates his fasting or decreases his reward. Also, he should keep
his hearing, sight and tongue away from everything that has been
forbidden by Allaah, to be saved from Hell.
*.Fifteenth:The fasting Muslim should frequently supplicate Allaah The
Almighty, because the supplication made by a fasting person is
fulfilled, by the will of Allaah The Almighty.

Ramadan Articles - Eid Etiquette and Rulings

Praise be to Allaah, Lord of the Worlds, and peace and blessings be
upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his family and companions.
"Eid" is an Arabic word referring to something habitual, that returns
andis repeated. Eids or festivals are symbols to be found in every
nation,including those that are based on revealed scriptures and those
that are idolatrous, as well as others, because celebrating festivals
is something that is an instinctive part of humannature. All people
like to have special occasions to celebrate, where they can come
together and express their joy and happiness.
The festivals of the kaafir nations may be connected to worldly
matters, such as the beginning of the year, the start of an
agricultural season, the changing of the weather,the establishment of
a state, the accession of a ruler, and so on. They may also be
connected toreligious occasions, like many of the festivals belonging
exclusively to the Jews and Christians, such as the Thursday on which
they claim the table was sent down to Jesus, Christmas, New Year's,
Thanksgiving, andholidays on which gifts are exchanged. These
arecelebrated in all European and North American countries nowadays,
and in other countries where Christianinfluence is prevalent, even if
the country is not originally Christian. Someso-called Muslims may
also join in these holidays, out of ignorance or hypocrisy.
The Magians (Zoroastrians) also have their own festivals, such as
Mahrajaan, Nowruz and so on.
The Baatinis have their own festivals too, such as"Eid al-Ghadeer",
when they claim that the Prophet [an error occurred while processing
this directive] (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) gavethe
khilaafah to 'Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him) and to the twelve
imaams after him.
The Muslims are distinguished by their festivals
The Prophet's words "Every nation has its festival, and this is your
festival"indicate that these two Eids are exclusively for the Muslims,
and that it is notpermissible for Muslims to imitate the kuffaar and
mushrikeen in anything that is a distinctive part of their
celebrations, whether it be food, dress, bonfires or acts of worship.
Muslim children should not be allowed to play onthose kaafir
festivals, or to put up decorations, or to join in with the kuffaar on
those occasions. All kaafir or innovated festivals are haraam, such as
Independence Day celebrations, anniversaries of revolutions, holidays
celebrating trees or accessions to the throne, birthdays, Labour Day,
the Nile festival, Shimm al-Naseem (Egyptian spring holiday),
teachers'day, and al-Mawlood al-Nabawi (Prophet's Birthday).
The Muslims have no festivals apart from Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adhaa,
because of the hadeeth narrated from Anas (may Allaah be pleased with
him) who said: "The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) came to Madeenah and the people had two days when they
would play and have fun. He said, 'What are these two days?' They
said, 'We used to play and have fun on these days during the
Jaahiliyyah. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said,'Allaah has given you something better than them, the
day of Adhaa and the day of Fitr.'"(Sunan Abi Dawood, 1134)
These two Eids are among the signs or symbols of Allaah which we must
celebrate and understand the aims and meanings behind them.
There follows a discussion of some of the rulings and manners of the
two Eids according toIslamic sharee'ah
1 – Ahkaam al-Eid (Rulings on Eid)
Fasting
It is haraam to fast on thedays of Eid because of the hadeeth of Abu
Sa'eed al-Khudri (may Allaah be pleased with him), who said that the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
forbade fasting on the day of Fitr and the day of Sacrifice (Adhaa).
(Reported by Muslim, 827)
Ruling on the Eid prayers
Some of the scholars say that Eid prayers are waajib (obligatory) –
thisis the view of the Hanafi scholars and of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn
Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him). They say that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) always prayedthe Eid
prayer and never omitted to do it, not evenonce. They take as evidence
the aayah (interpretation of the meaning),"Therefore turn in prayer to
your Lord and sacrifice (to Himonly)"[al-Kawthar 108:2],i.e., the Eid
prayer and the sacrifice after it, which is an instruction, and the
fact that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
ordered that the women should be brought out to attend the Eid
prayers, and that a woman who did not have a jilbaab should borrow one
from her sister. Some scholars say that Eid prayer is fard kifaaya.
This is the view of the Hanbalis. A third group say that Eid prayer is
sunnah mu'akkadah. This is the view of the Maalikis and Shaafa'is.
They take as evidence thehadeeth of the Bedouin which says that Allaah
has not imposed any prayers on His slaves other than the five daily
prayers. So the Muslim should be keen to attend Eid prayers,
especially since the opinion that it is waajib is based on strong
evidence. The goodness, blessings and great reward one gets from
attending Eid prayers, and the fact that one is following the example
of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) by doing
so, should be sufficient motivation.
Essentials and timing of Eid prayer
Some scholars (the Hanafis and Hanbalis) saythat the conditions of Eid
prayer are that the iqaamah should be recited and the prayer should be
offered in jamaa'ah (congregation).Some of them said that the
conditions of Eid prayer are the same as the conditions for Friday
prayer, with the exception of the khutbah, attendance at which is not
obligatory. The majority of scholars say that the time for the Eid
prayer starts when the sun has risen above the height of a spear, as
seen by the naked eye, and continues until the sun is approaching its
zenith.
Description of the Eid prayer
'Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) said:"The prayer of Eid and
al-Adhaa is two complete rak'ahs, not shortened. This is according to
the words of your Prophet, and the liar is doomed."
Abu Sa'eed said: "The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) usedto come out to the prayer-place on the day of
Fitr and al-Adhaa, and the first thing he would do was the prayer."
The Takbeer is repeated seven times in the first rak'ah and five times
in the second, the Qur'aan isto be recited after each.
It was reported from 'Aa'ishah: the Takbeer of al-Fitr and al-Adhaa is
seven in the first rak'ah and five in the second, apart from the
takbeer ofrukoo' . (Reported by AbuDawood; saheeh by the sum of its
isnaads)
If a person joining the prayer catches up with the imaam during these
extra takbeeraat, he should say "Allaahu akbar" with the imaam, and he
does not have to make up any takbeeraat he may have missed, because
they are sunnah,not waajib. With regard to what should be said between
the takbeeraat, Hammaad ibn Salamah reported from Ibraaheemthat Waleed
ibn 'Uqbah entered the mosque when Ibn Mas'ood, Hudhayfah and Abu
Moosa were there, and said, "Eid is here, what should I do?" Ibn
Mas'oodsaid:"Say 'Allaahu akbar',praise and thank Allaah, send
blessings on the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
and make du'aa', then say Say 'Allaahu akbar', praise and thank
Allaah, send blessings on the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him)…etc."(Reported by al-Tabaraani. It is a saheeh hadeeth
that is quoted in al-Irwaa' and elsewhere).
Recitation of Qur'aan in Eid prayers
It is recommended (mustahabb) that in the Eid prayers the imaam should
recite Qaaf [soorah 50] and Aqtarabat al-saa'ah [al-Qamar, soorah 54],
as it is reported in Saheeh Muslim that 'Umar ibn al-Khattaab asked
Abu Waaqid al-Laythi, "What did the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to recite at [Eid] al-Adhaa and
al-Fitr?" He said,"He used to recite Qaaf. Wa'l-Qur'aan al-majeed
[Qaaf 50:1] and Aqtarabatal-saa'ah wa anshaqq al-qamar [al-Qamar
54:1].
Most of the reports indicate that the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) usedto recite Soorat al-A'laa [87] and Soorat
al-Ghaashiyah [88], as he used to recite them in theFriday prayer.
Al-Nu'maan ibn Bishr said:"The Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to recite on the two Eids and on
Fridays, Sabbih isma rabbika'l-a'laa [al-A'laa 87:1] and Hal ataaka
hadeeth al-ghaashiyah [al-Ghaashiyah 88:1]."(Saheeh Muslim, 878).
Samurah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said:"The Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to recite on the two Eids,
Sabbih isma rabbika'l-a'laa [al-A' laa 87:1] and Hal ataaka hadeeth
al-ghaashiyah [al-Ghaashiyah 88:1]."(Reported by Ahmad and others; it
is saheeh. Al-Irwaa', 3/116)
The prayer comes before the khutbah
One of the rulings of Eid is that the prayer should come before the
khutbah, as is reported inMusnad Ahmad from the hadeeth of Ibn
'Abbaas, who testified that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) prayed before the khutbah on Eid,
then he gave the khutbah." (Musnad Ahmad, 1905. The hadeeth is also in
al-Saheehayn).
Another indication that the khutbah should be after the prayer is the
hadeeth of Abu Sa'eed (may Allaah be pleased with him): "The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) usedto go out to the
prayer-place on the day of al-Fitrand al-Adhaa, and the first thing he
would do was to pray, then he would stand up facing the people, whilst
they were still sitting in their rows, and would advise and instruct
them. If he wanted to send out a military expedition, he would decide
about the matter then, or if he wanted to issue a command, he would do
itthen."Abu Sa'eed said:"This is what the people continued to do until
I came out [to the Eid prayers] with Marwaan, when he was governor of
Madeenah, on either Adhaa or Fitr. When we reached the prayer-place,we
saw the minbar, which had been built by Katheer ibn al-Salt. Marwaan
wanted to get on the minbar before theprayer. I pulled on his cloak,
and he pulled on mine in return, then he got on the minbar and gave
the khutbah before the prayer. I said, 'You have changed it, by
Allaah! ' He said, 'O Abu Sa'eed, what you know isgone.' I said, 'What
I know, by Allaah, is better than what I do not know.' He said, 'The
people will not remain sitting after the prayer, so we made it [the
khutbah] before the prayer.'"(Reported by al-Bukhaari, 956).
Anyone who wants to leave during the khutbahis allowed to do so
'Abd-Allaah ibn al-Saa'ib said: "I attended Eid with the Prophet ]
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and when he finished the
prayer, he said: "We will give the khutbah, so whoever wants to sit
(and listen to) the khutbah, let him sit, and whoever wants to leave,
let him go.'"(Irwaa' al-Ghaleel, 3/96)
Not delaying the prayer for too long
'Abd-Allaah ibn Bishr, the companion of the Prophet [an error occurred
while processing this directive] (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him), went out with the peopleon the day of Fitr or al-Adhaa, and
objected tothe fact that the imaam came very late. He said, "At the
time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) we
would have finished by now," and that was at the time of al-Tasbeeh ."
(Reported by al-Bukhaari)
Naafil prayers in the prayer-place
There are no naafil prayers to be done eitherbefore or after the Eid
prayer, as Ibn 'Abbaas reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) used to come out on the day of Eid and pray two
rak'ahs, with nothing before or after them.
This is the case if the prayer is offered in a prayer place or public
place. If, however, the people pray the Eid prayer in a mosque, then
they should pray two rak'ahs for Tahiyat al-Masjid ("Greeting the
mosque") before sitting down.
If people did not know about Eid until the next day
Abu 'Umayr ibn Anas reported from his paternal uncles among the Ansaar
who said:"It was cloudy and we could not see the new moon of Shawwaal,
so we started the day fasting, then a caravan came at the end of the
day and told the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) that they had seen the new moon of Shawwaal the day before,
so he told thepeople to stop fasting, and they went out to pray the
Eid prayer the next day."(Reported by the five. It is saheeh;
al-Irwaa', 3/102)
If someone misses the Eidprayer, the most correct view is that he may
makeit up by praying two rak'ahs.
Women's attendance at Eid prayers
Hafsah said:"We used to prevent prepubescent girls from attending Eid
prayers. Then a woman came and stayed at the fort of Banu Khalaf, and
told us about her sister. Her sister's husband had taken part in
twelve campaigns with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) and [she said],'my sister was with him on six of them. She
said, "We used to treat the wounded and take care of the sick. My
sister asked the Prophet (peaceand blessings of Allaah beupon him)
whether therewas anything wrong with her not going out [on Eid] if she
did not have a jilbaab. He said, 'Let her friend give her one of her
jilbaabs so that she may witness the blessings of Eid and see the
Muslims gathering.'"' When Um 'Atiyah came, I asked her, 'Did you hear
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) [say this]?'
Shesaid, 'May my father be sacrificed for him' – and she never
mentioned himwithout saying 'may my father be sacrificed for him' – 'I
heard him sayingthat we should bring out the young girls and thosewho
were secluded, or the young girls who were secluded, and the
menstruating women, so that they could witness the blessings of Eid
and see the gathering of the believers, but those who were
menstruating were to keep away from the prayer-place itself." (Saheeh
al-Bukhaari, 324).
The 'young girls' ('awaatiq, sing. 'aatiq) are girls who have reached
adolescence or are close to it, or have reached the age of marriage,
or are very precious to their families,or who are spared from having
to do humiliating work. It appears that they used to prevent these
young girls from going out because of the corruption that arose after
the first generation of Islam; but the Sahaabah did not approve of
that and they thought that the ruling should remain in their time as
it had been during the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him).
Where it says"My sister was with him"it seems that there is something
omitted, probably"the woman said". [This is reflected in the
translation above. Translator].…
"Her jilbaabs"– she should lend her some of her clothes that she does not need.
"Secluded" – they would have a curtain in the corner of the house
behind which virgins would stay.
"Menstruating women"– huyyad, sing. haa'id – this may refer either to
girls who have reached the age of puberty, or women who are having
their period and are not taahir (pure).
"Menstruating women should avoid the prayer-place itself"– Ibn
al-Munayyir said:"The reason why they should avoid the prayer-place is
that if they stand with the women who are praying even though they are
not praying, it may appear that they have no respect for the prayer or
are careless, so it better for them to avoid that."
It was said that the reason why menstruatingwomen should avoid the
prayer-place is as a precaution, so that women will not come near men
for no reason ifthey are not praying, or so that they will not offend
others with their blood or their odour.
The hadeeth urges everyone to attend Eid prayer, and to co-operatewith
one another in righteousness and piety. The menstruating woman should
not forsake the remembrance of Allaah or places of goodness such as
gatherings for the purpose of seeking knowledge and remembering Allaah
– apart from mosques. The hadeeth also indicates that women should not
go out without a jilbaab.
This hadeeth tells us that it is not proper for youngwomen and women
in seclusion to go out except for a valid reason. It states that it is
preferable (mustahabb) for a woman to wear a jilbaab, and that it is
permissible to lend and borrow clothes. It also indicates that Eid
prayer is obligatory (waajib).
Ibn Abi Shaybah also narrated that Ibn 'Umar used to take whoever he
could of his household out to the Eid prayers.
The hadeeth of Umm 'Atiyah also states the reason for the ruling,
which is so that women may witness the blessingsof Eid, see the
gathering of the Muslims, and sharethe blessings and purification of
this day.
Al-Tirmidhi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in his Sunan, after
quoting the hadeeth of Umm 'Atiyah:"Some of the scholars referred to
this hadeeth and allowedwomen to go out to the Eid prayers, and some
of them disliked this. It was reported that 'Abd-Allaahibn al-Mubaarak
said: 'I do not like for women to go out to Eid prayers nowadays. If a
woman insists on going out, her husband should let her, ifshe goes out
wearing hershabbiest clothes and notadorning herself. If she insists
on adorning herself, then she should not go out. In this case the
husband has the right to stop her from going out. It was reported that
'Aa'ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: 'If the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had seen whathas happened
to women,he would have stopped them from going to the mosques, just as
the women of Bani Israa'eel were stopped.' It was reported that
Sufyaan al-Thawri did not like women to go to the Eid prayers in his
day."(Al-Tirmidhi, 495).
Umm 'Atiyah gave her fatwa in the hadeeth mentioned above a whileafter
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah beupon him) had died, and
it is not reported that anyof the Sahaabah disagreed with this. The
words of 'Aa'ishah, "If the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) had seen whathas happened to women,he would have stopped
them from going to the mosques",do not contradict this (provided that
women are meeting the Islamic conditions attached to their going out)…
It is better if permission is given only to those women who are not
who are not going tolook at men or be looked at, whose attendence
willnot lead to anything undesirable and who are not going to rub
shoulders with men on the street or in the mosque. (i.e., women whose
going out will not cause fitnah or temptation to her or to men).
Men should check on their womenfolk when they going out for the prayer
to make sure that their hijaab is complete, because they are the
"shepherds" who are responsible for their "flocks". Women should go
out in shabby clothes, not adorned or wearing perfume. Menstruating
women should not enter the mosque or prayer-place; they can wait in
the car, for example, where they can hear the khutbah.

Ramadan Articles - Muslims Celebrate this Eid with Aid

Any other year, Dr. Kashif Ansari would be celebrating Eid al-Fitr
with a gathering of friends and family. He would be decked out in anew
suit for an elaboratefeast and the exchange of gifts, traditions of
the Muslim holiday.
Not this year.
With the start of Eid today, Ansari will observethe traditionally
festive holiday with prayer, as is required by the faith. Butthere
will be few new clothes or gifts, he said.A banquet will be held as a
fundraiser for survivors of the Oct. 8 earthquake in South Asia that
killed more than 73,000 people and left millions of othershomeless,
most in Pakistan.
"None of the families I know are (buying) new clothes," said Ansari,
whois involved in relief efforts through the Association of Physicians
of Pakistani Descent of North America. "In Houston, everybody I talkto
has said, 'No, not this year.'
'Eid starts after the sighting of the crescent moon, which happened
Wednesday. It comes at the end of Ramadan, the holiest month of the
Islamic calendar, during which Muslims fast in daylight hours.
ObservingRamadan, which began Oct. 5, is considered one of the five
main pillars, ortenets, of the faith.
Another of the five pillarsis giving to charity. And many Muslims
donate therequired 2.5 percent of their assets during Ramadan.
Andy Ayub Badat helps the Islamic Circle of North America Relief
USA-Houston coordinate the purchase and shipment of two ambulances to
aid disaster relief efforts in Pakistan.
"Ramadan and charity are like brother and sister,"said Naeem Baig, a
spokesman for the Islamic Circle of North America, which is providing
earthquake aid. "We know from the life of the Prophet ... that during
the month of Ramadan his generosity is described as a 'rain that comes
with the wind.' "
Many Muslims, especially those of Pakistani descent, said they plan
totone down their Eid festivities this year. Somesaid they plan to
give themoney earmarked for feasts and finery to relief efforts in the
Pakistan tent cities that are being set up for survivors.
"It is very, very low key," said Anjali Khusro of Khazana Jewels, who
has experienced lower than normal holiday sales this year. "People are
not in the mood of celebrating Eid. They are in the moodof giving."
Ramadan is the most important time of the year for Muslim
charities.Since the federal investigations of Islamic aid groups with
suspected ties to terrorists after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, some
Muslims have opted to donate only to neighborhood causes.
But with the earthquake striking a predominantly Muslim country three
days after start of the holy month, donors have responded generously,
relief organizers said. Islamic Reliefhad to hire temporary employees
to keep up. "Donations havebeen coming in at recordpace," said Arif
Shaikh, spokesman for the nonprofit headquarteredin Los Angeles.
Since the earthquake, theagency has received $4 million in cash
contributions, Shaikh said. Money has been used to provide medicine,
food, winterized tents, mattresses and blankets.
Similarly, the relief arm of the Islamic Circle, ICNA Relief,
experienced a marked increase in donations. In the three days after
the earthquake the group received $800,000, Baig said. In Houston,
ICNA Relief volunteers held fundraisers at local restaurants and
collected medicine to send to Pakistan, said Ayub Badat, a volunteer
operation manager for the agency.
The group also raised money to buy two ambulances which will be
shipped Friday to Pakistan.
The Islamic Society of Greater Houstoncollectedroughly $275,000 in
donations earmarked for Pakistan, President Rodwan Saleh said, and he
added that the majority of the group's Muslims are of Pakistani
descent.
"Everybody is paying, paying, giving, giving,"said Badat, who plans to
travel to Pakistan next week.
Indeed, Muslim charities have been in overdrive since last year's
tsunami in Southeast Asia struck alittle more than a month after
Ramadan had ended, when people had already donated to their favorite
causes. Many charities, such as Islamic Relief, also supported relief
efforts after hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
Efforts in Pakistan will continue for years, relief groups said.Though
some are concerned that generosity may decrease with the end of
Ramadanwhen donors feel tappedout, Baig thinks the aid will continue.
"The Muslim community in North America ... is a very blessed community
when it comes to financial resources," he said. "I am very hopeful
itwill continue."